Microsoft utilizing Windows pop-ups to persuade Chrome users toward Bing

Appearance and user interaction

The pop-up, bearing a resemblance to those used by malware apps, appears on the screen. It promotes Bing's AI chat feature and encourages users to try Bing as their default search engine. If a user taps "Yes," their search engine automatically changes to Bing, and a Bing extension is installed on Chrome. However, users can dismiss the pop-up by selecting "No thanks."

Microsoft's history of pop-ups targeting Chrome users

This is not the first instance of Microsoft using pop-ups to target Chrome users. A similar pop-up surfaced a few months ago, also urging users to switch their default search engine to Bing. This comes on the heels of an incident where Microsoft was found importing data from Google Chrome to Edge through a Windows update, leading some users to inadvertently grant permission for this action.

Strategy is raising user concerns

The recent pop-ups have sparked concerns among Windows users, with some linking them to malware. Despite these concerns, Microsoft has confirmed that the pop-ups are genuine and will only appear once. Caitlin Roulston, Director of Communications at Microsoft, stated that the notification offers perks to Windows users who accept it. However, there is no straightforward way to disable these pop-ups permanently, leading to increased frustration among users.

Pop-up ads: A battle of tech giants

The pop-up ads are seen as part of the ongoing battle between tech giants for AI and search supremacy. The ads, which encourage users to switch to Bing, are followed by another pop-up from Chrome asking users to confirm their intent to change the default search engine. This creates a virtual tug-of-war between Microsoft and Google right on the user's screen. Despite user frustrations, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to prevent these ads from appearing.